Nature in Latin American Literature: Crash Course Latin American Literature #3

Key Concepts

• Mama Nature: A personification of nature, representing its dual capacity for kindness and generosity, as well as danger and chaos. In literature, it also symbolizes the wildness of human nature.
• Pachamama: The Andean term for Mother Earth, emphasizing a deep spiritual and physical connection between Indigenous peoples and the land.
• Popol Vuh: Sacred narratives of the K’iche’ people, detailing their natural surroundings and cosmology.
• Regionalism: A literary style where the setting is as richly detailed as the characters, with the place itself becoming a central element of the narrative.
• Eco-horror: A contemporary literary genre that explores the fractured relationship between humans and the environment through terrifying representations of nature, often reflecting real-world environmental harms.
• Ecopoetry: Poetry that addresses modern threats such as resource extraction, environmental violence, and climate crises.

Nature in Latin American Literature: From Reverence to Reckoning

This episode of Crash Course Latin American Literature explores the multifaceted representation of nature, or "Mama Nature," in Latin American literature, tracing its evolution from ancient Indigenous reverence to contemporary eco-horror and ecopoetry. The video argues that these literary depictions of nature are not merely descriptive but serve as powerful reflections of the social, political, and environmental realities of the regions.

Ancient Indigenous Perspectives

• Deep Connection to Nature: For millennia, Indigenous peoples of Latin America held a profound understanding and reverence for nature.
  • The people of the Andes called nature Pachamama, signifying a physical and spiritual connection to the land, which was viewed as more than just inert matter.
  • The Popol Vuh, sacred narratives of the K’iche’ people, lists a variety of flora and fauna, including macaws, cacao, coyotes, calabash trees, bromeliads, and jaguarundis, highlighting their intimate knowledge of their environment.
  • The Incas of Peru considered the sun a divine ancestor, often depicted as a flaming disc with a human face.

Colonial Encounters and Exploitation

• European Fascination and Exploitation: Upon arrival in the late 15th century, European colonizers were struck by the Latin American landscape.
  • Christopher Columbus praised the Americas for its "soft breezes, high mountains, and fertile lands."
  • Spanish botanist Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo documented the region's edible resources, noting the deliciousness of iguana and the peculiar effect of prickly pear on urine.
• Shift in Attitude: The colonizers' perspective was not one of shared stewardship but of appropriation. For three centuries, they seized control of the land, displacing Indigenous peoples and their environmental views.
• Independence Movements and National Identity: The 19th-century independence movements transformed colonies into nation-states, prompting writers to grapple with questions of identity and their relationship to the land.

Romantic Idealism and its Disillusionment

• Andrés Bello's Idealism: Venezuelan-Chilean poet Andrés Bello, inspired by European Romantics, wrote "Silva a la agricultura de la zona tórrida" ("Agriculture in the Torrid Zone") while in England.
  • The poem expresses an idealistic view of the Latin American landscape, praising its bounty, such as "sweet sugarcane."
  • However, Bello also advocated for human intervention, urging to "place the fertile soil, / now harsh and wild, / under the unaccustomed yoke / of human skill, and conquer it." This sentiment is critiqued as an imposition on Pachamama.
• Shift to "Backwardness" and Danger: As the 19th and 20th centuries progressed, many Latin American writers moved away from Romantic idealism.
  • The llanos (plains) and pampas (grasslands) began to be depicted as "backwards" and dangerous places, rather than idyllic settings.
  • Nature was portrayed as menacing, holding dark truths about human nature.

"La Vorágine": Nature as the Antagonist

• Regionalism in "The Vortex": Colombian author José Eustasio Rivera's 1924 novel, "La vorágine" ("The Vortex"), is presented as a prime example of regionalism.
  • In this novel, the setting is as crucial as the characters, with nature itself becoming the central drama.
  • The story is framed as the diary of poet Arturo Cova, who flees the city for the llanos and then the jungle, ultimately disappearing.
• The Jungle as a "Vortex of Nothingness": Cova's diary entries express profound terror and despair regarding the jungle.
  • He describes it as an "emerald prison," a "vortex of nothingness" where humanity dissolves and chaos reigns.
  • Quotes include: "Oh Jungle, wedded to silence, mother of solitude and mist! What malignant spirit left me to languish in your emerald prison?" and "Oh Jungle, let me escape your sickly shadows, your living cemetery, your primordial kingdom of agony and resuscitation."
• Human and Environmental Brutality: Cova encounters various threats, including parasites, leeches, and the enslavement of people in the rubber industry. The novel suggests that nature is more powerful than civilization in Latin America, encompassing both literal nature and the lawlessness of human nature.
  • Literary critic Jean Franco is quoted: "If La vorágine has a message, it is that nature is more powerful than civilization in Latin America."

Contemporary Eco-Horror and Ecopoetry

• Focus on Environmental Harm: The 21st century has seen a significant shift towards exploring environmental damage and exploitation in literature.
• Eco-horror as a Genre: This new genre uses terrifying representations of nature to explore fractured human-environment relationships, often depicting natural disasters and toxic environments.
  • The video humorously notes the underestimation of the danger posed by hippos.
• "Fever Dream" and Real-World Dangers: Argentine author Samanta Schweblin's 2014 book "Distancia de rescate" ("Fever Dream") exemplifies eco-horror.
  • The novel features a mysterious poison in the water that affects a young boy, David, leaving him psychologically altered.
  • The story is inspired by real-life events, such as the 1990s situation in Ituzaingó, Argentina, where residents suspected a link between pesticides and high rates of cancer, birth defects, and miscarriages. A door-to-door study by mothers confirmed this link.
  • Despite scientific debate, some harmful pesticides remain in widespread use in Latin America.
• "Rescue Distance": The Spanish title, "Distancia de rescate," translates to "rescue distance," referring to the variable distance separating a mother from her child. This highlights the inability to protect loved ones from unseen threats.
  • Schweblin is quoted on the power of eco-horror: "Fear is what makes you drop a book and run to your computer to Google what is happening, and think, ‘Can this happen to me? Is this really happening?’"
• Ecopoetry and Indigenous Voices: Contemporary ecopoets address resource extraction, environmental violence, and climate crises.
  • Mapuche poet Elicura Chihuailaf, the first Indigenous recipient of Chile’s National Prize for Literature, emphasizes the Mapuche view of nature as imbued with spirit and interconnectedness.
  • His poem "Itrofill mogen" uses a cyclical structure to illustrate the interdependence of natural elements (water, air, earth, fire), demonstrating that "you really can’t talk about the importance of water without talking about everything else."
  • Chihuailaf offers a hopeful alternative to eco-horror, advocating for a return to Indigenous perspectives of harmony with the earth, moving away from materialism and degradation.

Conclusion

Nature has been a constant and evolving source of inspiration in Latin American literature. Whether depicted as a source of wonder, terror, turmoil, or transcendence, these representations consistently mirror the social, political, and environmental landscapes of the time. The video concludes by previewing the next episode's focus on tyrants and dictators in Latin American literature and encourages viewers to appreciate "Pachamama."